End-of-Season Survey of Plant-Parasitic Nematodes in Georgia Strawberries

Georgia strawberry fields located in 13 counties were surveyed in late spring 2024 to determine the prevalence of sting (Belonolaimus longicaudatus) and other plant-parasitic nematodes (PPNs), following pre-plant fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene + chloropicrin the previous fall. The major PPN of concern, sting nematode, was not detected at any site. Of the other PPN species reported to parasitize strawberry, lesion (Pratylenchus spp.), ring (Criconematidae), stubby-root (Trichodoridae), and stunt (Tylenchorhynchus spp.) nematodes were detected, but mean counts were low. Previously, none of these four PPNs have been considered major parasites of strawberry in Georgia, though stubby-root (Nanidorus minor) has recently been identified as a damaging strawberry PPN in Florida. Stubby-root (not identified to species in this survey) was found in almost half of the fumigated fields in Georgia, albeit at a low maximum soil density. Based on data collected in this survey, pre-plant fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene + chloropicrin at the time of plasticulture bed formation provides sufficient suppression of PPNs in Georgia strawberries, and additional fumigation practices, such as a summer deep-shank and broadcast fumigation with 1,3-dichloropropene, are not required.